With the recent shortage of donkey-hide gelatin, one breeding center in Dong'e County is planning to increase stud scales up to 10,000 before 2015 ends.
To date, the breeding center, located in Shangdong Province, has nearly 700 stocks. It is planning to research on donkey's blood and milk, after which the results will be applied to their breeding methods.
"We all choose big-sized black donkeys for breeding, because ejiao made by black donkey-hide is believed to have the highest medical value," said technician Zhao Zhichao from the breeding center.
Zhao also said that the rate of conception is currently at 70 percent. The center's frozen semen will also be transported to other breeding centers located in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang.
With the current technological advances in agriculture, donkeys are now being used less by farmers. Hence, raising them has been given low priority.
According to agriculture statistics, only 6.03 million donkeys were raised by farmers in the previous year, whereas 11.2 million were raised several years ago.
Donkey-hide gelatin maker Dong'e Ejiao Co. Ltd. said that it will be increasing the factory-gate price of its products by over 50 percent.
The company already increased its prices three times since the previous year. A 25-percent increase to 1,098 yuan ($178.70) per 500 grams was observed in August. Also, in January, the price increased by 19 percent to 1,298 yuan.
Ejiao demand is increasing by a median of 30 percent each year, said the company. The product is famous for improved blood circulation and energy replenishment. Plus, it is favored by women for its presumed beautifying effects.
Ejiao is made from refined gelatin from boiled donkey hide. The cooking methods, which include rinsing and boiling, date back to over 2,000 years.